The beauty of submission

AS Christians, we are encouraged to submit to Christ. Why? What is the benefit to us?

Have you ever bought a car under warranty? A sense of comfort is felt knowing the dealership is going to help you for a certain period of time after buying the car. You feel a sense of peace because you know even if you figure out the car has a problem, they are going to take care of it. As long as it is a manufacturer issue, it is not going to be your problem.

Let’s call God the manufacturer. He is your Creator. He gives you this beautiful guidebook to life in the Bible. He lays out the optimal way to “operate the machinery”. He even goes so far as to promise you in Matthew 6 that if you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness then you don’t have to worry about what to eat, what to wear, or what to drink because your Father in heaven knows you need these things and all these things will be taken care of if you just submit to living life His way. Then, He even goes a step further — knowing how weak we are! He offers the Holy Spirit, which in John 16 is described as a counsellor who will guide us into knowing the truth and convict us in regards to when we are sinning! In Galatians 5:22 among many other places, we learn that not only does the Spirit guide us but He actually gives us power from within to overcome any worldly temptation that would ultimately lead us to do things we would later be ashamed of. Wow! Seems like an amazing deal. All I have to do is submit to God’s “warranty” plan and as long as I seek first His righteousness and surrender my life to Him, then it is up to Him, the manufacturer to keep His end of the deal with taking care of the worries of my life.

Whew — relief… until you have an accident — a problem that is of your doing and not the manufacturer.

Here is the problem when you have an accident. The dealership will direct you to their “approved” car shops which totally take advantage of the fact that they know you must use them and jack the prices up astronomically! So frustrating! You know they are charging five times what another mechanic may charge, so you are tempted to take a short cut and go with the cheaper option. But, if the manufacturer finds out, then it voids the warranty.

Their promise to take care of your car for a certain amount of time is now void because you decided to do things your way and went for a quick fix instead of following the rules set out in the terms and conditions of the warranty.

● Read full article on www.newsday.co.zw